Scabbard



July 22, 1947. BRICKEY 2,424,302

SCABBARD Filed March 18, 1946 vgf l /1 P "nu-n INVENTOR.

" KJ. Ell "MIKEY 'ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 22, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SCABBARD Kyle J. Brickey, Ottumwa, Iowa Application March 18, 1946, Serial No. 655,159

5 Claims.

This invention relates to scabbards and more particularly to scabbards for carrying one or a plurality of instruments. An example of such a scabbard is one employed to carry butcher knives.

An important object of the invention is to provide a scabbard which will fully protect the wearer from injury by the instruments carried thereby and, at the same time, retain the instruments in the scabbard against accidental withdrawal therefrom.

Another important object is to provide a scabbard of rigid material, as metal, which will wholly enclose, for example, the pointed or sharpedged portions of instruments, as knives, yet may be manipulated so that the interior of the scabbard may be fully exposed for cleaning and other purposes.

Still another important object is to provide a novel scabbard having a removable Wall member and dual compartments having buffer means to minimize damage to the edges of instruments carried in the compartments, portions of the scabbard having dual functions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the following detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a portion of this application and in which drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the novel scabbard.

Figure 2 is a similar view but with a slidable wall of the scabbard removed.

Figure 3 is a vertical section, substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section substantially on the line 4--4 of Figure 1.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the novel scabbard is shown to include a pair of oppositely-disposed outer wall member I and I I, a, pair of oppositely-disposed, flanged end wall members I2 and I3, means l4 having the triple functions of separating the interior of the scabbard into separate compartments, forcing the wall member I I away from the wall member I0 and into tight engagement with the flanges, and providing a buffer for instruments carried by the scabbard, means I5 for providing additional buffers and also aiding in forcing the wall II into tight engagement with the flanges of the end walls, means l6 for attaching the scabbard to a support and means I! for supporting an instrument or tool, as a Whetstone, exteriorly of the scabbard.

The outer wall member Ill constituting the rear wall of the scabbard, may be of sheet metal, hardened plastic, or the like, is vertically elongated, has an upper edge 20, end edges 2| and a lower edge portion 22 of special shape, as may be seen more particularly in Figure 3 since, while the major portion 23 of the wall member II) is substantially straight, the lower edge portion 22 first extends forwardly as at 24 forming an obtuse angle with the major portion 23 and then extends downwardly, as at 25, terminating in the lower edge 26.

As for the outer wall member I I, constituting the front wall of the scabbard, this member is removable, being slidable with respect to the Wall III and has an upper edge 30, end edge portions 3|, terminating in end edges, and a lower edge portion 32, terminating in a lower edge 33. Its upper edge 30 may be rolled but, otherwise, the wall member I I is substantially flat and, while of metal or hardened plastic material or the like, should have a little spring or resiliency. It supports the means I! to be subsequently described.

The end wall members l2 and I3 are substantially alike, have upper edges 35 and lower edges 36, which latter are less in width than the edge 35, and flanges 37 extending from their forward edges toward each other, thus overlying portions of the outer rearwall member Ill. The end wall members l2 and I3 are joined to the latter and extend substantially normal thereto. As may be seen in Figure 3, the lower edge 36 is above the lower edges 26 and 33, so that there are two small spaces or openings 38 in the scabbard below the edges 36. The lower ends of the flanges 31 terminate at this edge 36. The members I2 and I3 are preferably of the same material as the wall member III since they may be integral therewith.

The outer front wall member II slides back of these flanges 31 and when in place, as in Figure 3. its lower edge portion 32 contacts the downwardly-extending section 25 of the lower edge portion 22 of the wall member II], at the lower ends of the openings 38. There is no means provided for attaching portion 32 and section 25 together, however, they are in good frictional, but slidable, contact.

The means I4 having the triple functions of separating the interior of the scabbard into separate compartments, forcing the wall member II away from the wall member ID and into tight engagement with the flanges 31, and providing a buffer for instruments or the like carried in the scabbard, preferably comprises a section or partition strip 40, as of rubber or similar resilient material preferably extending longitudinally of the walls I3 and I I and disposed along their longitudinal medial lines, extending from the edge 30 to preferably short of the edge 26, as may be seen in Figure 2. This strip 40 is fixedly secured to the inner face of the wall It) in any approved way, and it is somewhat wedge shaped, as may be seen in Figure 3. Its front face 4| is, when the wall member II is removed, preferably very slightly forwardly of the horizontal plane of the inner face of the wall II when that wall is in place as in Figure 3, whereby the wall is in sliding, but frictional, contact with the face 4 I. The strip 40 of course provides a partition, dividing the scabbard into two compartments 43 and 44. It also ids in retaining the sliding wall I I against accidental upward sliding movement, because of the frictional contact of the rubber (or like) face 4| with the wall II and the material of the strip 40 provides a non-dulling or buffer surface for knives or other sharp-edged instruments carried in either compartment 43 or 44.

Two of the functions of the means I4 are found in the means I 5 comprising the sections or strips 50, which may be substantially like the strip 40 except that the strips 50 (since they are disposed, as in Figures 2 and 4, at and in contact with the walls It! and I2 and IE3 and I3 respectively, and since the walls I2 and I3 converge) have their upper and lower faces 5| and 52 not strictly normal to the longitudinal face 53 which forms the face of each strip 50 opposite the nearest face 42 of the strip 40. These strips 50 are back of the flanges 3'! but may project slightly therefrom as is apparent in Figure 2. They are, as is the strip 40, for frictionally contacting the wall member I I and function, too, as buffers. They may be secured to either or both the walls I and I2 or II] and I3 respectively.

The means I6 for attaching the scabbard to a support, such as a belt (not shown) preferably comprises a slotted member 55 carried at the upper end of the wall member I0 in a hinged connection 56 therewith. The slots in the,

member 55 accommodate portions of a belt, since a belt end may be slid into the two slots 51 in turn and then placed around the waist of the wearer and buckled with the scabbard in a desired position. Movements of the wearers body will cause the scabbard to move on the hinged connection 56.

For the purpose of carrying a Whetstone or the like, the means I! is provided and, preferably, comprises an eyed portion 60, somewhat U- shaped in horizontal longitudinal section extending across the longitudinal medial line of the outer face of the wall member II and secured thereto, and a second portion 8 I, having a bottom wall 62 but otherwise substantially similar to the portion and disposed below the latter as in Figure l. The Whetstone may be inserted into the eye of the portion 68 and into the second portion GI to come to rest upon its bottom wall 52.

As stated, the lowermost parts of lower edge portions 22 of the wall member I0 and 32 of the wall member II are in face to face contact. Therefore, when a knife is inserted into either compartment 43 or 44, its pointed end will be caught between these portions and retained so that it will require an upward pull upon the knife to remove it and thus the knife will not be apt to accidentally slip from the scabbard.

With the construction shown, the scabbard is so arranged that any liquid will flow from the compartments 43 and 44 through the openings 38 and that the scabbard may be readily cleaned, either by flowing water through it or removing the wall member I I for scouring, etc.

Various changes may be made to the form of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a scabbard, a front wall and a rear wall, said front wall being substantially straight and of springy material, and said rear wall being provided with a forwardly and downwardly projecting portion (at its lower end, said walls converging downwardly into face-to-face contact at their lower ends, whereby those face-to-face contacting portions of said walls provide means for covering and gripping, with a face-to-face contact, the point portion of a, knife inserted into said scabbard, said lower ends being free of attachment one to the other.

2. In a scabbard, a front wall and a rear wall, said front wall being substantially straight, and said rear wall being provided with a forwardly and downwardly outwardly concave projecting portion at its lower end, said walls being of springy material and converging downwardly into tight face-to-face contact at their lower ends, said lower ends being free of attachment one to the other.

3. In a scabbard, a rear wall and a front wall, each having side edges and a bottom edge, end walls of substantially V-shape fixedly secured at one longitudinal edge of each to the side edges of one of said other walls, and provided with flanges along their other longitudinal edge, extending toward each other, said front wall having an upper end portion, end edge portions constructed,.and arranged to slide over the inner faces of said flanges, and a bottom edge constructed and arranged to contact said other bottom edge in a frictional face-to-face relationship, and means to provide a pair of compartments within said scabbard and to retain the side edge portions of said front wall in tight engagement with said flanges, including a partition member extending longitudinally of said scabbard, and from rear wall to front wall, and in frictional engagement with said front wall.

4. In a scabbard, a metallic rear wall having side edges and a bottom edge, end walls of substantially V-shape fixedly secured at one longitudinal edge of each end wall to the side edges of said rear wall, and provided with flanges along their other longitudinal edges, extending toward each other, a front wall of springy, metallic material having end edge portions constructed and arranged to slide over the inner faces of said flanges, and a bottom edge constructed and arranged to contact said first-named bottom edge in a frictional face-to-face relationship, and means to provide a pair of compartments within said scabbard and to retain the side edge portions of said front wall in tight engagement with said flanges, including a partition member of resilient rubber, extending longitudinally of said scabbard and from rear wall to front wall, and in pressing engagement with said front wall.

5. In a Scabbard, la, rear wall having side edges and a bottom edge, end walls of substantially V-shape fixedly secured at one longitudinal edge of each to the side edges of one of said other walls, and provided with flanges along their other longitudinal edges, extending toward each other, a front wall having end edge portions constructed and arranged to slide over the inner faces of said flanges, and a bottom edge constructed and arranged to contact said first-named bottom edge in a frictional face-to-face relationship, and resilient means to provide a buifer for instruments carried by said scabbard and to retain the side edge portions of said front wall in tight engage- KYLE J. BRICKEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Olsen Mar. 29, 1932 Number 

